The Graduate School Priorities
Graduate Fellowships
Fellowships are a central source of vital aid for emerging, future mentors. They enable graduate students who plan to teach at the university level upon graduation, allowing ample time for coursework, compiling a dissertation, and/or research assistance. As assistants, graduate students are involved with many areas of the University community. Some may aid professors with larger undergraduate courses as tutors or advisors while others offer valuable research assistance to senior faculty and University researchers. Undergraduate students also benefit from their day-to-day learning experiences while working with graduate students. A designated gift for graduate fellowships ensures the continuation of a rewarding exchange of new ideas and perspectives and, most importantly, the next crucial phase of study.
International Exchanges and Research
Currently, Northwestern has exchange programs with a number of universities around the world, including robust programs at the doctoral level with universities in Brazil and France. As doctoral research interests and Northwestern’s standing as an international university grows, students will require additional support for international research initiatives. These initiatives include taking courses at foreign universities, working in foreign archives, libraries, or laboratories, interviewing subjects and/or collecting data in foreign countries.
Summer Language Grants
In order to prepare graduate students for a global marketplace, opportunities in research and language acquisition are continuing to grow. Due to their time-effectiveness, the summer months are best for intensive language study. The Graduate School has created a scholarship fund to support this language study and international research.
Professional Development Programming
Professional development is best achieved via a distinct series of workshops, conferences, and classes for graduate students on a wide range of topics including:
Summer Research Opportunity Program
The university and TGS are committed to building a diverse, inclusive graduate student community. Great strides have been made in this area over the past decade, but more work is necessary to maintain representation of minority students’ pursuit of graduate education. The Summer Research Opportunity Program (TGS’ pipeline program), expands resources for recruitment and retention programs to ensure diversity of all kinds: ethnic, racial, national, socioeconomic and cultural.
Community-Building Grants
The community-building grant competition (up to $3000 per award) seeks to integrate academic and social aspects of graduate life, bring people together in a social context, improve communications and outreach, and encourage creative expression through the arts. Outreach into the community is essential to a brighter future for all, and ensures that students learn outside the laboratory or library.
Childcare
The Graduate School recognizes that it is the responsibility of the University, when possible, to encourage students to balance the pressures of their academic lives with the realities of their personal lives. To minimize this tension, TGS has created a childbirth accommodation policy, which automatically extends the academic milestones and provides some measure of financial support for women before and after childbirth. Furthermore, TGS is now exploring subsidized childcare and eldercare for its students. Competitiveness in the academic marketplace depends a great deal upon “family friendliness”, and support for this efforts would allow for these critical initiatives to be expanded.
For more information about giving to TGS, contact Northwestern's Office of Major Gifts.
Fellowships are a central source of vital aid for emerging, future mentors. They enable graduate students who plan to teach at the university level upon graduation, allowing ample time for coursework, compiling a dissertation, and/or research assistance. As assistants, graduate students are involved with many areas of the University community. Some may aid professors with larger undergraduate courses as tutors or advisors while others offer valuable research assistance to senior faculty and University researchers. Undergraduate students also benefit from their day-to-day learning experiences while working with graduate students. A designated gift for graduate fellowships ensures the continuation of a rewarding exchange of new ideas and perspectives and, most importantly, the next crucial phase of study.
International Exchanges and Research
Currently, Northwestern has exchange programs with a number of universities around the world, including robust programs at the doctoral level with universities in Brazil and France. As doctoral research interests and Northwestern’s standing as an international university grows, students will require additional support for international research initiatives. These initiatives include taking courses at foreign universities, working in foreign archives, libraries, or laboratories, interviewing subjects and/or collecting data in foreign countries.
Summer Language Grants
In order to prepare graduate students for a global marketplace, opportunities in research and language acquisition are continuing to grow. Due to their time-effectiveness, the summer months are best for intensive language study. The Graduate School has created a scholarship fund to support this language study and international research.
Professional Development Programming
Professional development is best achieved via a distinct series of workshops, conferences, and classes for graduate students on a wide range of topics including:
- the academic and/or non-academic job search,
- dissertation completion,
- lab management,
- skill building (such as conflict management, public speaking, time and project management, and budgeting and planning),
- life on the tenure track, and
- responsible research conduct.
Summer Research Opportunity Program
The university and TGS are committed to building a diverse, inclusive graduate student community. Great strides have been made in this area over the past decade, but more work is necessary to maintain representation of minority students’ pursuit of graduate education. The Summer Research Opportunity Program (TGS’ pipeline program), expands resources for recruitment and retention programs to ensure diversity of all kinds: ethnic, racial, national, socioeconomic and cultural.
Community-Building Grants
The community-building grant competition (up to $3000 per award) seeks to integrate academic and social aspects of graduate life, bring people together in a social context, improve communications and outreach, and encourage creative expression through the arts. Outreach into the community is essential to a brighter future for all, and ensures that students learn outside the laboratory or library.
Childcare
The Graduate School recognizes that it is the responsibility of the University, when possible, to encourage students to balance the pressures of their academic lives with the realities of their personal lives. To minimize this tension, TGS has created a childbirth accommodation policy, which automatically extends the academic milestones and provides some measure of financial support for women before and after childbirth. Furthermore, TGS is now exploring subsidized childcare and eldercare for its students. Competitiveness in the academic marketplace depends a great deal upon “family friendliness”, and support for this efforts would allow for these critical initiatives to be expanded.
For more information about giving to TGS, contact Northwestern's Office of Major Gifts.
